Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 1759kcal
Ingredients
Spice Blend:
- 4 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 3 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
Buttermilk Brine:
- 2 ½ cups buttermilk
- ¼ cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
Fried Chicken:
- 4 lbs. whole chicken cut into pieces chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and/or wings (bone-in, skin-on)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 5 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 cups peanut oil
Instructions
To Make Spice Blend
- In a medium bowl whisk together smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
To Brine Chicken
- In a large bowl whisk buttermilk, half the spice blend, and ¼ cup of hot sauce until smooth. Pierce chicken pieces with a small knife or fork all over then completely submerge the chicken in buttermilk brine, cover, and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Overnight is an optional but highly recommended step.
To Dredge & Fry Chicken
- Heat your oil to 325°F in a 12-inch straight-sided cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
- While oil heats up, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and remaining spice blend. Add the chicken 4 pieces at a time to the flour, (I like to do one breast, wing, leg, and thigh) and toss in flour to coat evenly. Shake to remove excess flour.
- Oil is hot once you add a sprinkle of flour and it bubbles slightly. Place the chicken skin side down into the pan. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature. Put thighs and wings in the center, the breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come halfway up the pan. Cook chicken for approximately 6 – 8 minutes per side or until golden brown. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 165°F when cooked thoroughly.
- Transfer the chicken to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part should register 165°F. Add to the warm oven while you fry the next batch. Serve chicken hot.
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Notes
Chicken Pieces: If not starting with a whole fried chicken you can also use 4lb of your favorite bone-in skin-on chicken pieces (chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and/or wings).
Brining Time: Any time spent marinating is better than none, but i would recommend a minimum of 4 hours, but eight hours is the sweet spot for getting juicy, flavorful chicken from the buttermilk marinade. You can let it marinate for up to 24 hours, but any longer it will negatively impact the texture of the chicken.
Resting Time: Let the chicken rest for 20 to 30 minutes after dredging—it helps the coating stick to the meat.
Fry Time: You can use any combination of chicken parts like wings, chicken breasts (white meat), drumsticks or thighs (dark meat) for the recipe. Fry drumsticks for about 12-14 minutes, thighs for 13-15 minutes, wings for 10-12 minutes, and breasts for 15-18 minutes. To make sure the chicken is cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat has reached 165°F (74°C).
Nutrition
Calories: 1759kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 146g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 43g | Monounsaturated Fat: 65g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 3326mg | Potassium: 777mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2508IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 306mg | Iron: 6mg
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
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